About Oma's Soep
Oma's Soep is a Dutch non-profit organization founded in 2016. The aim of the foundation is to reduce loneliness among the elderly while also tackling food waste. They achieve this by involving young people in cooking soup and sharing meals with the elderly.
The idea behind Oma's Soep is that young volunteers come together in local kitchens to cook soup using surplus vegetables from local supermarkets and wholesalers. The volunteers receive recipes and guidance from "grandmothers" - older volunteers who share their experience and cooking knowledge. It's a great way to combat food waste by using ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away.
The foundation has received nationwide recognition for their work and has won several awards. They not only make an impact in terms of food waste and elderly loneliness but also create valuable intergenerational connections and promote social cohesion in society.
Mapping requirements
During my search for a suitable partner for my graduation assignment, I quickly came across Oma's Soep. The reach among the elderly, the wide range of activities, and the large pool of volunteers provided a favorable foundation for collaboration. Oma's Soep is struggling to find other lonely elderly people outside of existing nursing homes. This was a perfect opportunity to show the power of design for a underrepresented group in the design realm.
Since they did not have an app for finding their events, I started working on mapping out the needs of the target audience. After conducting thorough research, I concluded that the following requirements were identified by the stakeholders:
Event Listings: A comprehensive listing of upcoming events, including social gatherings, workshops, cultural events, and more, tailored to the interests and preferences of older adults.
Simple Registration: An intuitive registration process that minimizes complexity, allowing seniors to easily sign up for their desired events with just a few taps or clicks.
Reminders and Notifications: Automated reminders and notifications to ensure that registered users are informed about upcoming events, avoiding the possibility of missing out on opportunities due to forgetfulness.
Accessibility Tools: Integration of accessibility features such as adjustable text size, high contrast mode, and text-to-speech capabilities to accommodate users with visual impairments or other accessibility needs.
Chat system: A chat function where seniors can chat to each other about upcoming events and common interests.
Community Engagement: A platform that encourages social interaction and community building among users, fostering a sense of connection and belonging.
In order to reach as much elderly as possible, i had to make sure that the app was as accessible as i could. This resulted in a lot of testing sessions with a lot of different people. I spoke to elderly, their caretakers, family and friends. Not everyone is able to use their phone on its own, so making sure that other people understand it was vital.
Final Design
To be able to graduate from my course i had to pitch my idea and research to my councellors. Click through the slides below to get a better look at what my concept is, backed by my extensive (user) research. After finishing my presentation i graduated with a 7 and a satisfied client
2023, Jesse van Hooff.
Unless stated otherwise.